Paper Plate Bear Craft for Kids

Some crafts start with a big plan. This bear starts with a paper plate, a little paint, and a pair of googly eyes that immediately give him way too much personality.

This easy bear paper plate craft is simple enough for preschoolers and young kids, with plenty of painting, cutting, and gluing along the way. Use it for a bear theme, woodland unit, hibernation lesson, or just an afternoon when the craft table needs a new furry resident.

Graphic featuring the finished bear paper plate craft on a yellow background with the words “Bear Paper Plate Craft.”

Materials for This Paper Plate Bear Craft

Everything below is easy to find, no special trip required.

Supplies

How to Make a Paper Plate Bear Craft

Here's the step-by-step, easy to follow start to finish.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Get everything from the list above within arm's reach before you dive in.

White paper plate with brown and pink paper, googly eyes, brown and pink paint, foam brush, paintbrush, scissors, black marker, and hot glue gun arranged on a white wood surface.

Step 2: Paint the Plate

Paint the outside of the plate brown and let it dry fully, adding a second coat if needed.

Paper plate painted brown with a paintbrush resting across it and a bottle of brown acrylic paint beside it.

Step 3: Cut the Face Pieces

Print the bear patterns, then trace and cut a nose from black cardstock, a muzzle from light brown, two outer ears from dark brown, and two inner ears from pink.

Paper templates traced onto tan, brown, pink, and black paper with a pencil on a white wood surface.

Step 4: Assemble the Ears and Muzzle

Glue the inner ears onto the outer ears, and glue the nose onto the muzzle.

Cut paper pieces for a bear face, including a tan muzzle, black nose, and brown ears with pink centers, arranged beside orange scissors.

Step 5: Attach the Muzzle, Eyes, and Ears

Attach the muzzle to the lower half of the plate with the eyes above it. Then glue the ears to the top corners.

Brown painted paper plate with googly eyes, tan muzzle, black nose, and one ear attached while the second ear and a hot glue gun sit nearby.

Step 6: Stamp On Cheeks

Dab pink paint on the sponge and stamp cheeks on either side of the nose, letting the paint dry before moving on.

Brown paper plate bear with both ears attached, googly eyes, black nose, tan muzzle, and pink painted cheeks beside a bottle of pink paint and foam brush.

Step 7: Draw the Mouth

Finish with a marker mouth under the nose.

Close-up of a brown paper plate bear face with pink cheeks and a black marker used to draw the mouth.

Then hang your finished bear up on display!

Finished brown paper plate bear craft with rounded ears, pink inner ears, large googly eyes, black nose, tan muzzle, pink cheeks, and a drawn smile.

Grab the Paper Plate Bear Craftivity

Turn this bear craft into an easy grab-and-go activity with the printable craftivity pack! It includes the templates and simple instructions you need to make the project with less tracing, less prep, and a lot more crafting.

More Animal Crafts Your Kids Will Love

This one's basically the gateway into the rest of the animal lineup, easy and always a hit, here's where to head next.

Graphic featuring the finished beaver craft with the text “beaver paper plate craft” on a tan background.

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Please Share This Paper Plate Bear Craft

Save this bear paper plate craft for your next animal theme, woodland unit, or rainy-day craft stash, and send it to a teacher or parent who could use an easy win.